Two years ago, the Hopkinton girls’ soccer team went to overtime against Stevens to win the Division III championship. Last year, the Hawks survived penalty kicks against Bishop Brady to claim back-to-back D-III crowns. This year, Hopkinton will have to work through wearing masks at all games and practices, a mostly D-II regular-season schedule, an open D-III tournament and who knows what else might happen between now and then to make it three straight titles.
But for now, the Hawks aren’t worried about playoffs or winning another championship. They’re just happy to be playing.
“The girls are excited. They know it’s a wacky year, but they’re competitors,” Hopkinton third-year coach Mike Zahn said. “They just want to play and they play hard, which makes it fun.”
Eight of Hopkinton’s 10 games will be against area D-II schools Bow, Merrimack Valley, John Stark and Pembroke, due to the localized COVID schedule. Those schools have their own safety guidelines in place for this season, but none of them include student-athletes wearing masks during games. However, they have all agreed to wear masks against Hopkinton, which is requiring all of its soccer, football and field hockey players, and their opponents, to wear masks during games.
How the D-III Hawks fare against those D-II teams doesn’t matter in terms of defending championships since all teams will make the playoffs regardless of record. But the Hopkinton girls’ soccer team actually has the players to compete against bigger schools.
The Hawks returns nine starters from last year’s team that finished 16-4-0 after beating Bishop Brady in the final, 2-1 (4-2 PK). There are just two seniors among those nine returners, midfielder Caitlin Clark (2019 D-III First Team) and forward Brooke Carlson, but six juniors – goalie Emily Fleegle, forward Loren Charron (2019 D-III Second Team), back Kally Murdough (2019 D-III Honorable Mention), back Maddy Follensbee (2019 D-III Honorable Mention), forward Jessie Carne and back Annie Higginbotham (2019 D-III Second Team) – and sophomore forward Maddie Carmichael. The Hawks also add four talented newcomers in juniors Ashlee Brehio and Juliana Pardo, and freshmen Keegan St. Cyr and Liz Holmes.
“This year’s team is going to be really strong all over the field,” said Zahn, who was the 2019 D-III Coach of the Year. “Every girl just loves to play and they all understand the game.”
Hillsboro-Deering is the only D-III school on Hopkinton’s regular-season schedule. H-D’s school district guidelines also require its student-athletes to wear masks in soccer and football (H-D and Hopkinton form a co-op football team, the Redhawks).
The H-D girls’ soccer team returns 11 players with starting experience from last year’s squad that went 7-10 after losing in the first round of the D-III playoffs. Four of those returning starters are seniors (goalie Gracie Atkins, midfielder Kendra Warren and backs Kaylea Davison and Lexi McClure), six are juniors (midfielders Eva LaValley, Abby VonDette and Kimmie Nadeau; forward Abbie Johnson; backs Maggie Carter and Emily Wilkens) and one is a sophomore (forward Emily Howell).
Howell scored three goals in H-D’s season-opening 5-3 win at Conant on Saturday. Johnson and Nadeau each had a goal and an assist in that game and LaValley, a 2019 D-III Honorable Mention, also had an assist. Atkins was a 2019 Second Team D-III pick at goalie, but she had to miss Saturday’s opener. Atkins and Davison will serve as H-D’s captains this year.
Bishop Brady lost to just one team last season – Hopkinton. The Giants finished 16-3-0 after falling to the Hawks twice in the regular season and again in the final.
There’s a ton of turnover for the Brady program this year. Coach Andrew Mattarazzo left to take over the Goffstown girls’ soccer team, 2019 D-III First Team midfielder Adrienne Brummett graduated and her sister Sheridan Brummett, a 2019 D-III First Team Forward, transferred to prep school. Brady’s new coach, Ali Vural, will have two solid pieces to build around in senior midfielder Lauren Beitler (2019 D-III Second Team) and goalie Emily Senko (2019 D-III Honorable Mention).
Bow lost the 2019 D-II girls’ soccer final to Hanover in penalty kicks, which is the same thing that happened in the 2018 final. The Falcons lost some significant seniors from last year’s team that finished 16-3-0, but they do bring back four starters – senior back Chloe Binder (2019 D-II First Team), senior midfielder Kristina Pizzi (2019 D-II Second Team), junior midfielder Madison Roberge and junior back Stephanie Gosselin. They also return other contributors from last year, like sophomore twins Isabella and Lyndsey LaPerle, and have nine varsity newcomers, including three freshmen, ready to make an impact.
“We have some work to do, adjusting to the seven seniors and starters who graduated from last year’s team, but I believe this team will continue to improve as the season goes on,” said Jay Vogt, now in his 17th season as Bow’s coach. “They are a great group of girls and have been doing a great job dealing with the guidelines and the restrictions. They just want to play soccer.”
Merrimack Valley went 8-7-2 last year and lost in the first round of the D-II playoffs to No. 7 Souhegan in penalty kicks. The Pride returns eight starters from that team – senior midfielders Hayley Kenney and Emily Koufos, senior forwards Kaylee Magoon and Rhiley Tanguay, junior forward Alyssa Woodman, junior goalie Mackenzie McDonald, junior back Hailey Meattey and sophomore back Elizabeth Philbrook – plus five more players with varsity experience. MV coach Nick D’Agostino, now in his third year, is also impressed with the nine varsity newcomers on this year’s team, which includes five freshmen.
“Milford and Oyster River will be the favorites in D-II with Bow, John Stark, Pembroke and Hollis Brookline not far behind,” D’Agostino said.
Pembroke Academy opened its season with a 3-0 loss to D-I Concord on Friday, but it’s all D-II teams plus Hopkinton for the rest of PA’s season. The Spartans finished 13-5 last year after losing in overtime in the quarterfinals to Milford. PA returns nine starters from last season – midfielders Hannah Brown and Britney Hill (2019 D-II Second Team), forwards Cierra Hill, goalkeeper Brooke Davison and backs Kaylie LeBlanc, Anna Harlow, Lindsay Hawkins, Adrienne Dorr and Nicole Nedeau.
“We’re excited to play a competitive regional schedule, which will prepare us for what the postseason will bring,” said Jess Kaufman, now in her 11th year as Pembroke’s coach. “There are many players on the roster that are incredibly versatile and stand out. Dorr’s tenacity, Brown’s enthusiasm, and the Hill twins most notably, with Cierra’s nose for the net and Britney’s stoic defensive efforts leading the charge.”
John Stark ended last season 10-7-1 after losing to Hanover in the first round of the playoffs. The Generals return a good group of starters from last year, starting with goalie Emaly Roy and midfielder Arden Ulmer, who were both 2019 D-II Honorable Mention. Backs Presely Gaberseck, Samantha Veilleux and Madison Porth, midfielders Isabella Roy, Sophia McGinty, Meghan Mefford and Megan Rousseau, and forward Elizabeth Downing are Stark’s other returning starters.
Coe-Brown will be led by a strong class of 10 seniors that includes six returning starters – back Amelia Brackett (2019 D-II Honorable Mention), midfielders Morgan Burnap, Lian Welch and Corinne Fernald, goalie Mackenzie Quick and forward Izzy Myers. Coach Josh Hils, now in his 15th year with the team, likes his team’s balance and plans on using multiple players in multiple positions this season as the Bears look to improve on last year’s 6-11 record.
“The addition of young talent and skill in Mary Joy, Somer Loto, Alyviah Blad, and Lily Wolf gives added depth and flexibility,” Hils said. “The impressive progression of senior Olivia Noni and sophomore Becca Scruton has moved them into the starting lineup.”
After a sloppy first half of Friday’s 3-0 season-opening win against Pembroke, Concord played a crisp possession game in the second half. Junior Mary Martinson had a goal and an assist in that game and figures to be an instrumental part of Concord’s offense this season. Junior Tyler Harrington also played a part in two goals on Friday, and freshman forward Whitney Vaillant had a nice showing in her debut.
Junior back Chloe Morgan scored for the Tide on a PK that was earned by Harrington. Morgan was also a starter last year when Concord finished 14-5 after losing in the D-I semifinals to eventual undefeated champion Exeter. Morgan and junior Caley Nault are a solid pair of center backs for the Tide in front of senior goalie Emily Mickelson, who had three saves in her varsity debut on Friday.
“They’ll be really tough to break through,” Concord’s fourth-year coach Phil Tuttle said of Morgan and Nault. “It’s always good to have a solid back line.”
Pittsfield went 4-12 last year in D-IV and missed the tournament, but coach James Kennedy is excited about the potential for his team moving forward. The Panthers are already 1-0 this year after beating D-III Prospect Mountain, 3-1, on Friday.
“Returning four starters and pairing them with the top newcomers, I think we have a great group to build around for the next few years,” said Kennedy, who is in his fifth year with the team. “This is a very young and hard working group of girls.”
Two of those four returning starters played varsity last year as 8th graders – freshmen goalie Tiffany Boucher and freshman back Emma Ramsey. Sophomore back Abigail Smith and junior midfielder Madison St. George are the Panther’s other two returning starters.